Vila do Ouro Mini-Blog

Algarve Fresh Fish30 June 2014

The picture of today shows the ordinary display of fish from a simple restaurant at the beach of Armacão de Pêra. Bom
Apetite!
Today we had 31C, sunny skies and a strong summer breeze.
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Studio 2-4 pax29 June 2014

This is the terrace of one of our studios sleeping 2-4 persons. Nice place! Today 31C in the shade, 100% sunny and from time to time a strong summer breeze.
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Tip 7: How to deal with the heat28 June 2014

The people in the picture of today (Praia de Salgados) dip in the wonderful waters of the Atlantic Ocean in order to cool down a bit. A dip in the sea always cools! Today had 33 º C in the shade and only sunshine.

The last tip on "how to deal with the heat," is the following: travel means that you should be open to other cultures, lifestyles and climates. When you go for holidays, you actually have to be open to new impressions and insights, and you must accept that you are being extracted out of your comfort zone. That makes holidays and traveling as special experiences. Coping with the heat belongs in that special experience too. Remember that in the Algarve for centuries people live without air conditioning and fans, and if you copy the local techniques, then you will see that heat is no problem. Even the pace down and enjoy your wonderful holiday in this beautiful piece of Southern Europe!

Tip 6: How to deal with the heat27 June 2014

Quality top summer weather over here in the Algarve today with 33 º C in the shade in the village of Paderne! Today's picture is from Praia da Oura, one of the busiest beaches of Albufeira. There is still plenty of of space as you can see! Also at Vila do Ouro we still have availability for the next few weeks. Please contact us if you fancy a lovely holiday in the Algarve!

Tip 6 of 'how to deal with the heat': 'our accommodation has an air conditioner, so we must use it! "Many tourists from northern Europe think in this way. The slightest feeling of warmth will make these tourist to put the air conditioning on 16 º C, which is the coolest position. And they remains this temperature, 24 hours a day, during their whole holiday and that while you can also enjoy the fresh clean air which the Algarve has to offer and the wonderful night sounds of crickets, insects, and the waving of the wind. Often the nights in the Algarve are cool, around 20 º C and it is a shame that most tourists in the Algarve sleep with the window closed. Everyone should do what he likes, but our tip is to see the air conditioning with different eyes: it is a wonderful invention and it is there if you need it. If the air conditioning is there, then it is not "a must" to use the air conditioning. Try different ways to beat the heat. For example keep hatches, windows and curtains closed during the day and just open them in the evening, night and early morning. Like this, you keep the heat outside and the cooler air inside the accommodation.

If you need to use the air conditioner think about the the 6 º C rule. Do not make it colder than a difference of 6 º C with the outside temperature. Or else let the temperature not below 24 ° C. These positions are better for your body. You don’t want to spend your holidays in a refrigerator, don’t you?

Our bungalows for 2 – 3 pax and our villa for 8 pax have good air conditioners that we regularly clean to guarantee a good air quality.

Tip 5: How to deal with the heat25 June 2014

The trunk in the picture of today is from a alfarobeira, a tree which grows in the middle of Vila do Ouro. This tree has at least 80 years.
Tip 5 for how to deal with the heat: remember that a ventilator is not an air conditioning. Sometimes guests say that the ventilator is not working, because it does not cool the room, while the ventilator is on all day. Well, a ventilator in a room without people has no use, it just works when you are in the wind direction of the ventilator. The moving air makes you feel cooler while the temperature around you stays the same.
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Tip 4: How to deal with the heat24 June 2014

The day started nice and sunny, but at lunchtime it started to rain. After lunchtime we had some long sunny spells. 25 ° C measured in the shade!

Tip 4 of "how to deal with the heat": sometimes the night temperature can be around 30ºC, then the day was definitely warmer. And many people has been in the sun whole day. Then you may be a bit overheated. For many, it is difficult to go to sleep. A good trick that works good, is to take a lukewarm shower before to go to bed. Not just a few seconds, but a few minutes. Then go to bed!

All our units also have mosquito nets, so guests can easily sleep without a blanket. You don’t have to worry that you will be stung by mosquitos.

Tip 3: How to deal with the heat23 June 2014

This day had rain showers, clouds, a little thunder storm, but also lots of sunshine. It was not that hot, with an average of 24 º C in the shade.

Yet here is tip 3 of "how to deal with heat":

When you book a holiday in the sun, then you obviously want to be in the sun. However, if the temperature is above 30 º C, then it is not wise to be in the sun between 11:00 a.m and 16:00 p.m. The body become just too overheated and it is difficult to cool down again. It is best to just be like the locals. Try a long lunch in one of the restaurants at the beach of one of the good restaurants around Vila do Ouro. Or try the "sit under a tree” effect. Many local people like to sit in the shade of a tree. A tree is a kind of natural air conditioning. Enjoy to be outside, but not always in the sun!

We also see a lot of parents who sit under an umbrella, but they leave their children playing in the stinging sun all day. Especially children have sensitive skin. Plan some activities in the shade between 11:00 and 16:00.

Good to know that half an hour is enough for the skin to make enough vitamin D. In addition, the slowly accumulated sun tan stays longer than fast-tanners and those who have sunburn.

Today's pic shows the pool and backyard of our villa for 8 pax, which is still available from the 6th of July untill the 21st of July.

Tip 2: How To Deal With The Heat22 June 2014

Today was not a very hot day with sun and some cloudy skies. We had 28 º C in the shade and we had a pretty solid summer sea breeze blowing. However, summer has begun so it will be warm again at the end of the week and therefore today, tip 2 of "how to deal with the heat":

"My child cannot handle the heat! He has sweat on his nose! "Parents who say this, usually find it way too hot themselves, while their children are unaffected by the heat. Sweating is a natural reaction of the body and sweating is not bad at all. It's even good to drain wastes from the body. But, if you sweat a lot, then you must also drink a lot. And we're not talking about coffee, alcoholic beverages or soft drinks, but we are talking about water. Make sure you have at least 2 to 3 liters of drinking water a day in addition to your normal fluid intake. You will notice that your body definitely feels much better. Also, make sure you let your children drink enough water.

Tip 1: How to deal with the heat21 June 2014

How can you recognize tourists in traffic? Sure by their rent-a-cars, but if there is no company name on the car? The answer is simple: they drive with the windows closed. If you are here, just take a look at it and check it out. Most tourists use the air conditionings while driving and the locals drive with the windows open. The 'pre-cooling' of the car, where the car is already started 10 minutes before departure in order to let the air conditioner cool down the inside temperature, is something what local don’t do. Imagine how much time that would take if you need to drive a few times a day? And how much pollution it would give? In the next few blogs, we will give some tips to handle the summer heat. Today the real summer has started, even though it was not very hot with just 27 º C in the shade.

Tip 1: Over here in the Algarve it's probably warmer than at your home. Your body has to get used to the heat. If you search for the cooling air of the air conditioner all the time, your body can not get used to the heat. A healthy way to use the air conditioning in the car, is to keep the rule of 6 º C difference in your mind. Ensure that the difference between the outside temperatures does not exceed 6 º C. The first minutes drive with all the windows open so that heat can escape and then close the windows and let the air conditioner do the work. This way, your body can get used much better to the heat. Remember that a summer flu, runny noses, earaches, headaches can all be caused by a too cold inside temperature of the car.

Even healthier is to not use the air conditioning for short trips and behave like a local. Just open the windows and use the wind as a ventilator.

Views20 June 2014

The picture of today: the view to the harbour of Albufeira. Today we had a sunny day with 25C in the shadow.
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LAST MINUTE JULY19 June 2014

Our small and friendly holiday resort in the Algarve has last-minute availability for first two weeks of July. The bungalow Special, the apartment 'Deluxo' for 6 people, the villa for 8 persons and apartments for 4 people are still available in the period from the 29th of June until the 21st of July. Of course, with a last-minute discount! Ask us about the possibilities and we hope we can welcome you at Vila do Ouro.

For those who have forgotten or do not know about this special place: Vila do Ouro has 12 accommodations, located in the central Algarve, outside the tourist zone. Completely surrounded by nature and the real Portugal! An ideal place to relax, to celebrate holidays and to discover the Algarve.

We have great and good restaurants around us, so you can enjoy the culinary part of the Algarve as well.

And the sun shines almost always in the Algarve (300 days per year) and so also today. The temperature was very pleasant with 26 º C in the shadow.

The Algarve is really a great place to spend holidays: we have clean air (no industry, fresh from the sea), almost all the beaches have a blue flag and there is plenty of space. The Portuguese local people are super friendly, helpful and most of them speak perfect English. The Algarve is child friendly and there are many idyllic spots to explore. That all within a flight of just 3 hours from the Benelux, Great-Brittain and Ireland. Vila do Ouro is a half hour drive from the airport.

From Lisbon it is a 2,5 drive, from Porto a 6 hours drive and from Seville it is a 2,5 hours drive. We hope to welcome you at Vila do Ouro!

Tropical Garden18 June 2014

The third day in a row that started cloudy and turned into sunny afternoon. 28C in the shade. Lots of green and beautiful plants and trees at Vila do Ouro, as you can see in todays picture.
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PAULINE17 June 2014

"Sunny regards, Pauline." This signature appears frequently on our emails since January 2014. Many may have wondered, who Pauline is. Well, it is indeed about time to present Pauline through this blog. Pauline has strengthened our team in January and here she is working in our hammocks (picture of today). All emails are answered from this place!

That is obviously a joke! Last winter we have renovated the ground floor and expanded the space. We now have a real office, where Pauline works five days a week, four hours a day. She helps us with the administration and with her help we improved the service to our clients. Pauline is Dutch, but has spent much of her childhood in Portugal. Hence, she speaks fluent Portuguese. She lives with her husband and daughter in Silves and runs with her husband, the company VebaBox (cooling systems for cars, http://www.vebaboxportugal.com). That is quite different from tourism, which is why Pauline likes to work at Vila do Ouro. Working at Vila do Ouro is working in a whole different world. The world of smiling and happy tourists, swimsuits and sunscreen.
Sunscreen was not really necessary today. It remained cloudy until about three hours. Then it was sunny and about 28 º C in the shade.

ZOOVER AWARD 201416 June 2014

Okay, Germany have won this game, but what Germany does not have, is Vila do Ouro! Today we have received the Zoover Award 2014 by mail. See the picture of today. Although we received this award fornbeing the no 1 holiday park in Portugal, we are still not fully booked. For the first weeks of July we still have accommodations available. If you would like to have a last-minute to this special place in the Algarve, please contact us.
We had cooler weather today, 30C in the shade, a refreshing summer breeze and lots of sunshine.
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Warm15 June 2014

Today two pigeons came to check out our pool terrace from the shade side below the big palm tree. It felt very hot, but it was just 35C. Luckily we had a summer breeze blowing from around lunch time. It was sunny off course.
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Sunrise Westcoast Algarve14 June 2014

Sunrise, Amoreira beach, west coast Algarve. The Algarve has paradisical places from the East to the West. Today was a hot day with 35C in the shadow and 100% sunshine.
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News from our Rental Car Company13 June 2014

From the 15th of July until the 18th of August, our rental car company just have cars available in classe C. If you want to have a bigger car or a smaller car, then try other companies but do not wait too long! Today it is warm with 32C in the shadow. It is sunny of course!
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First Class Holiday Weather12 June 2014

First class holiday weather in the Algarve today. Sunny, a summer breeze and 30C in the shadow.
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Bungalow11 June 2014

Most guests sleep very well in our bungalows. Fresh air, good beds and just the noise of the crickets and the sound of sweeping palm leaves in the wind. We still have some bungalows available for the first two weeks of July. Contact us if you want to experience staying in a wooden bungalow! Today was sunny and 30C.
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Dia de Portugal10 June 2014

Sunny, 25C in the shade, but a bit cloudy this morning. That was the weather on Dia de Portugal 2014, which is a public holiday. At Vila do Ouro it was very calme as you can see in todays picture.
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Villa 8 Pax09 June 2014

This photo shows the pool terrace of our villa sleeping 8. This villa os still available for 14 nights in the month of July. If you would like to have a (sun)bath on this terrace, then contact us. July is 100% sunny. Today was sunny as well and we had 25C.
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Terrace Apartment 4 Pax08 June 2014

The photo of today shows the new terrace of a apartment for 4 pax. Splendid view from here! Today was a lovely sunday with just sunshine and 24C in the shade.
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Village Festival07 June 2014

This weekend Paderne has a village festival which means nights full with music, beer, wine, local food and meat on the grill. Tourists are welcome as well! Today was a bit chilly, but the afternoon was ok with 24C.
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Entrada06 June 2014

Today was a bit chilly with 23C in the shade and the cloudy periods. Picture of today: the entrance of Vila do Ouro.
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Monte Clérigo05 June 2014

Colored housesat the beach ofMonteClérigo(westernAlgarve).As you cansee we had again a blue sky,summer temperaturesof 27º Cin the shade andjust sunshine.

For all guests who have booked a holiday at Vila do Ouro or elsewhere in the Algarve for the month of July and Augustand who havenot made a reservation for a rental car,we strongly recommendtonot to wait too long. Forthesebusy monthsin the Algarvethere are notenoughrental carsavailable.Ifyou do not yethave arrangeda rental car, you canrent acarthrough our website.See the chapter'car rental'.

Cork03 June 2014

Everyone knows the cork from the wine bottles, but cork is such a special product, that it can be used for so much more than just as a bottle stopper. Cork is not flammable, it floats, it stops air and it is excellent as a temperature- and sound insulation. In any casy, it can also be recycled. At Vila do Ouro, we also have a bin where the cork can be deposited. So if you are sitting here, nipping your Vinho Verde or a delicious wine from the Alentejo, remember that the cork belongs in the recycle bin.

Portugal is the largest cork producer in the world. Here in the Algarve are several cork factories that can be visited. Cork is slowly rising as a fashion product. Bags, clothes etc made from cork are very special! The Algarve Shopping has a store with cork fashion (see photo). Also, your host is already in possession of a bag made of cork. It is a fine and beautiful bag!

Today it was 27 º C in the shade, and there was nothing but sunshine. A lovely day!